White Bean Fennel and Sausage Soup

This recipe came from my friend Linda. We were in the grocery store and she wanted to know if we wanted fennel or broccoli for dinner that night. I said fennel and told her the story of Jim, my Mom and I being in a market in Italy and my Mom spotting fennel. She had never seen it before, but my Father had been in Italy during WW2 and wrote her about this wonderful plant that made everything taste better. She recognized it by his descriptions from years ago. This recipe is delicious and easy. The copy I have says Low-Fat cooking, Food & Wine. I do not have a year or date. Serves 8. I made the whole thing and have put the rest in the refrigerator for the end of the week.
Ingredients:
2 t EVOO
1 # sweet Italian sausage, skinned and crumbled
2 medium fennel bulbs, coarsely chopped
2 medium onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ C coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
6 C chicken stock
One 28 oz can Italian peeled tomatoes and their juice
2 C cooked with beans, such as cannellini or great northern, rinsed if canned
1 C cooked elbow macaroni ( I added more stock and dumped in ½ C of dried pasta)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Beyond soup:
Italian bread
EVOO
Parmigianino-Reggiano cheese
Chopped feathery fennel leaves
Steps:

1.   In a large heavy nonreactive skillet, heat the EVOO. Stir in the sausage and cook over high heat until well browned, about 5 minutes. Drain off all the fat. Lower the heat to moderate and add the fennel, onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook until the vegetables are just crisp-tender, 10-15 minutes.
2. If I had used a larger pot I could have added to this mixture. I had used a skillet, but not large enough. I added the stock and the tomatoes with their juice to a large pot and then spooned in the vegetables and sausage. Break up the tomatoes. I use scissors as they float to the top. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Next I added the beans and the pasta. I cooked for another 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile I cut up the bread and drizzled EVOO.  I topped with the cheese and fennel. On low and 2 rungs down I toasted the bread. I served the bread with the soup.
This meal is very good. Jim served a Gnarly Head Zin from Lodi, CA. Worked well